Ghost Signals, Episode 5: Part 1.2
CUT TO:
INT. COMMAND CENTER, ATHENA-5- Minutes Later
Raiven and Dez-Lei standing in the middle of the Command Center, looking at the mystery object in the sky from the end of Episode 4 for the first time. The two of them actively brainstorming what the object may be.
RAIVEN Hmmm...sort of looks like an Scraper. Or one of those oTacs that pop out from the rear of one of those prison sats, when there's a breakout.
AC SECOND CLASS DEZ-LEI This far off from any civilized planet? (shakes her head) Unlikely. It has the musk of first attack in my book...
RAIVEN Wouldn't we have seen a big arsed boomer charging out way before this little thing?
AC SECOND CLASS DEZ-LEI Not if they wanted to clear out any potential defenses before they came into view.
RAIVEN What kinda weapon could do that?
AC SECOND CLASS DEZ-LEI A SODMine. It's a pre-guided weapon we use for small scale rebellions before they get out of hand. They find the target and let loose a sea of incendiaries that take out any non-friendly entity in a given area.
RAIVEN Who else could have a hold on weapons tech like that?
AC SECOND CLASS DEZ-LEI Outside of military? Opportunistic pirates. Radical Tris set to cause trouble. Hell, it could be a remnant of a distant war that just happened to pop into our view now.
RAIVEN So, anyone basically. Great... (nervous pause, to Steggy) Whatever it might be, we need a way to contain this. Or at least make bett'n sure we're not all offed. Any ideas?
STEGGY I could throw a Teeb net on it, slip it in the cargo bay. It should buy us some time...
As she's about to finish the rest of her thought, there's a sudden bang like hundreds of firecrackers going off in a millionth of a second. It's followed by the sound of a steady powering down sequence permeating throughout the whole center.
STEGGY (Cont., suddenly worried) Unless the tank goes dry and we become a large, floating bullseye. (to Raiven and AC Second Class Dez- Lei) Any of you guys know how close the Danverian was to completing the alt-fuel?
RAIVEN Ummm...
AC SECOND CLASS DEZ-LEI We were in the Holodeck for approximately twenty-five minuyats. Factor in the 3 minuyats it took to walk there from the cargo bay and--
RAIVEN (interjecting) We're a tick under halfway from anything that could've been usable-great! (thinking pause, then to the others) Any of you guys have plans that don't involve making final verse with our respective deities? 'Cause at the moment I'm drawing a blank.
There's a little period of silence amongst the group as they think up any semblance of an idea in their particular situation. Then, the emergency lights flicker on at the same moment of a breakthrough.
ARU (from the speakers, to AC Second Class Dez-Lei) AC, ma'am, I think I have an idea. We just installed the Skelliclaw to the rear of the ship last weatt. It could be strong enough for such an extraction.
AC SECOND CLASS DEZ-LEI It was designed to haul out any Attacker damaged heavily in battle. Shklooping out a tiny chunk of metal like that barreling at us full bore wasn't really in the maker's planning.
RAIVEN I'm open to the idea. But quick question, Dez- what's the chance, if this object is dangerous, that this Skelliclaw might inadvertently set it off?
There's an awkward pause between the three of them as they each try not to dwell too much on the answer to that question.